Two arrested in Moldova on espionage, coup plotting charges

The Information and Security Service (SIB) of Moldova, jointly with the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS), are probing a treason and espionage ring involving a network of assets, which included citizens of Moldova and another state, which has not been specified in the press release.

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to NewsMaker.

As part of the investigation, the operatives identified five Moldovan citizens, two of whom were arrested in December 2022, and three others were designated as suspects.

They had been recruited by the intelligence agencies of another state to violently destabilize the country and topple the constitutional system, reports the SIB press service.

In addition, as part of the probe, the investigators identified citizens of another country who were engaged in espionage and financed the Moldovans engaged in the scheme.

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The inquiry was launched in 2020, documenting both intended and partially implemented actions. It is about money transfers, provoking inter-ethnic hatred, intolerance towards certain strata of the population, hiring individuals prone to violence to participate in protests.

The Security Service noted that treason and espionage are punishable by 12 to 20 years of imprisonment.

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As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Maia Sandu of Moldova said Russia was plotting a coup d'état in her country. According to Sandu, the Kremlin intends to set up “opposition protests” involving citizens of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Serbia, and Montenegro. The plan includes the seizure of government buildings and government toppling.

Photo: SIB